Posted on 02/09/2022 9:32:51 AM PST by SeekAndFind
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is planning to lift the Empire State's mask mandate this week - what the NYT described as a "watershed moment" in New York's struggle against COVID - a decision that follows a similar move by NJ Gov. Phil Murphy made earlier this week.
According to an NYT preview of Hochul's decision (which she confirmed in an announcement released just before noon, in New York) the governor "was not swayed" by similar moves made by neighboring Democrat-controlled states (*cough* New Jersey *cough*) and is basing her decision "purely on the latest data and consultations with public health experts" - including her talks with Dr. Anthony Fauci.
On Tuesday, the governor became more comfortable with the latest metrics, which indicated that bed capacity at hospitals in the state was at about 4%, down from a peak of 23% on Jan. 2. As for masks in schools, Hochul says she will wait until March before she stops to reassess.
While NY is keeping its mask mandate in schools - for now, at least - Massachusetts has just decided that its school mask mandate will end on Feb. 28.
The decision will have a "far reaching" impact on public settings in the state, including businesses from retail shops to restaurants and malls - and workplaces as well.
Once Hochul's decision has been made, these places would no longer be required to enforce "mask-wearing" or ask for "proof of vaccination" unless they choose to do so on their own.
Unfortunately for students and their parents, Hochul's move wouldn't impact requirements that students and teachers wear masks at school. That decision is set to expire on Feb. 21, and it's unclear whether the governor wll move to extend it, or not.
"I am optimistic that we’re trending in that direction, but I still need the time," said Ms. Hochul, who met virtually with a group of school officials on Tuesday afternoon.
While plenty of New Yorkers will be relieved, in other states and counties, they haven't been as lucky. While California prepares to lift its indoor mask mandate next week, the state's most populous county - LA County - has established itself as a notable hold out, thanks to the decision-making skills of its "SJW" Director of the Department of Public Health, Barbara Ferrer.
NEW: CA’s case rate has decreased by 65% since our Omicron peak. Our hospitalizations have stabilized across the state.
Our statewide indoor mask requirement will expire on 2/15.
Unvaccinated people will still need to wear masks indoors.Get vaccinated. Get boosted. — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) February 7, 2022
Ferrer, who isn't a doctor and whose background focuses on health-care "access", not the actual provision of health-care, said yesterday that LA County will not follow the state's guidelines to lift masking mandates. Instead, the mandate will remain in effect for weeks, if not months, the Epoch Times reports.
Why? Well, Ferrer "clarified" the requirements for the county to drop the mask mandate for both outdoor and indoor spaces. To go mask-free outdoors, including mega-events, schools, and childcare facilities, the county has to be considered as "post-surge" - with less than 2,500 hospitalizations for seven consecutive days. In New York, the current 7-day hospitalization rate is roughly 2,900 patients. So, if that rate is "good enough" for the densely populated NYC (not to mention the rest of the state) to lift its masking requirements, why must LA County be any different?
Furthermore, Ferrer is insisting that vaccines must be available for children under 5 "for at least 8 weeks" before masking requirements are lifted. The jabs are expected to be approved for the youngest Americans by the end of this month.
That's bad news for anybody who plans on attending the Super Bowl, which will take place in Los Angeles this weekend.
In both NY and California, hospitalizations have fallen sharply in recent weeks.
First, here's New York:
Source: NYT
And now, California:
Source: LA Times
Looking at the US as a whole, COVID cases have plunged, while deaths have more or less plateaued.
And hospitalizations have fallen sharply.
That means people in LA County might be among the last in the country to see their indoor masking requirements shot down, even as omicron cases in the US have fallen dramatically.
I live in Long Island where NOBODY takes the mask mandate seriously. The two counties here refused to cooperate with Kathy Hochul's edict and it was as good as useless. She's just bowing to reality now by rescinding the mandate.
And in LA County?? Well, I never touched that county, but I was there a month ago to visit my cousin in the suburbs of Los Angeles. We went to an LA Fitness gym and never wore a mask for the hour we did our workout and nobody cared.
Enjoy the suck Los Angeles ..
New York CITY is still keeping the mask mandate. Even before it was put back in place, the disproportionately Asian-owned small businesses still required them and the sheeple in NYC wore them voluntarily, other than when eating.
The reason LA County is keeping the mandate in place is because there is not enough pushback from the voters. The ruling liberal elites in LA will maintain the charade until their internal polling tell them they are in trouble. But it’s California so they are in no danger.
Idiots.
Exactly. LA is run by Democrats.
While LA County Warns Its Could Remain For ‘Weeks Or Months.
Translation: Vote by mail you don’t even have to go to a drop box someone will pick up for you they will have ID’s Harvesting Inc.
Cracker Adams is keeping it in NYC ?
Certainly looks that way, especially because so many of his constituents were masking OUTSIDE even before the new mandate was put in place.
California Sheep.....a state of fools and sheep. Democrats.
Waiting to see the Vegas odds on who holds out the longest. LA or NevaDUH! KEEPING mask mandates that is.
I truly believe that I have not gotten the dreaded sniffles in the last two years despite having an extensive laundry list of other horrific maladies is because I am coerced to wear a mask when walking the 20 feet between the door and table when I dine out
This is what they voted for. Their complaining never fails to astonish me.
Indeed
Next up share your house.This crap will never end!
The Sheriff of L.A. County has already said his deputies will not be harassing people in the stands at the Super Bowl not wearing their masks. He’s in charge of security for the game. He’s had enough of this nonsense.
At a certain point the government has to wake up to the reality that the population has moved on and they are yesterday’s news.
Remember, they are elites, not leaders.
“Enjoy the suck Los Angeles ..”
Indeed. This is the last gasp effort of the white BLM fat females on the LA county board to hold onto power. LA county Sheriff Alex Villanueva is coming for their commie heads.
Depending upon which report you read, Villanueva has somewhere between 20,000 and 60,000 “deputies” to take over LA. And there’s nothing that LA or the commie Newsome can do about it.
IOW, LA is about to fall to the Mexicans. The BLM, the nazi media and the Marxist California legislature are about to be crushed.
Mexicans are pissed and the Mexican men are not about to wear dresses to please noodle-arm wokesters in colleges.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.